The 21st Century Fox media group said Wednesday that it still wants to buy pan-European TV group Sky, but is considering its “options” following a counter-offer by cable operator Comcast.
“We remain committed to our bid to buy the remaining Sky shares we do not own and expect to receive UK regulatory approval in a month or two,” said James Murdoch, the chief executive of Fox and chairman of Sky.
“Comcast has just begun its regulatory process and we think it’s very reasonable for Comcast to undergo a robust regulatory review which could take months,” said Murdoch.
“We’re considering our options with a further announcement to be made in due course,” he added.
Comcast, which lost out to Disney last year in an effort to buy 21st Century Fox, formalized its £22 billion ($30.7 billion, 25.1 billion euros) cash bid for Sky in April.
21st Century Fox had earlier made a lower offer per share for the 61 percent of Sky it does not own — a bid that has come under intense regulatory scrutiny.
